Affinity

Affinity

$5.99

Kai was born with the ability to see brokenness and to fix it. But when a freak accident leaves him trapped in the spiritual realm, he discovers a sinister side to being gifted--a much darker than he'd ever imagined.

With Affinity Recruiters hunting him down, Kai has to learn how to stay alive, use his gift to save his friends and stop the flood of evil threatening the world. Can he do it before time runs out?

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Kai was born with the ability to see brokenness and to fix it. But when a freak accident leaves him trapped in the spiritual realm, he discovers a sinister side to being gifted--a much darker than he'd ever imagined.

With Affinity Recruiters hunting him down, Kai has to learn how to stay alive, use his gift to save his friends and stop the flood of evil threatening the world. Can he do it before time runs out?

Excerpt

A fly buzzed against the classroom window. It thumped into the glass, over and over, stopping long enough to shake out its wings before having another go. It wanted out and Kai sympathized. He checked the wall clock, another fifty-eight minutes of History before he could leave this room. St. Gregory’s prided itself on its fine teachers, but listening to Ms. Pudulski grind on, Kai figured part of each teacher’s interview was a droning competition with a fly. Out-buzz one of those and you’re in.

Pudulski was a round, grey woman, always miserable, but today she seemed worse and Kai knew why. Her bad knee was playing up again; he could see it lit up green like a traffic light. It wasn’t that he had x-ray vision. That would be weird. He saw her flesh shoved into grey support hose like everybody else. But super-imposed over that shone a glowing green image of what was going on beneath the skin–that which needed fixing. The closest thing he’d been able to compare it with were 3-D hologram images he’d seen in sci-fi movies.

As a little boy, he thought this seeing was normal. It was only when the kids at school started calling him freak and weirdo that he’d realized he was different. It didn’t take long to learn that the ability he had was a thing to avoid, to fear. It even had a name.

Affinity.

And he had it in bucket-loads. Not only could he see what was broken, he often knew how to fix it too. So he shut his mouth and lived with knowing all sorts of things that he could do nothing about. As for Pudulski, if he thought for a moment that she’d listen to him, he would tell her to see a doctor to remove the broken bits of cartilage that were causing the trouble. The chances of her paying any attention were equal to a spaceship full of Martians landing on the sport field and demanding to be fed school boys.

A thump under his chair brought him back. He swung around to see Pete packing up.

“You twit. What was that for?” Pudulski seemed a bit deafer each year, but Kai whispered anyway.

“They called us on the intercom. Didn’t you hear?”

“No, for what?”

Pete’s eyes gleamed and he tilted his head at the window. Kai stretched his neck and could just see the top of the Recruiters van parked in the road outside the school’s fence. The fly slammed into the window and fell back on the window sill. Its legs gave one final twitch and it stopped buzzing. Kai shifted his sight, using his gift. Nothing glowed green on the fly; it was thoroughly dead. There was nothing he could do for it. Not a good sign.

Pudulski cleared her throat and tapped the desk with a crooked nail, “Boys, I’m not happy about you being called out like this. History is far more important than anything those people could ever teach you.” She stared pointedly out the window down the slope of her nose. “But if you must leave, please do so quickly and without distracting the others. Off you go, then.” She waited until they were out the door before carrying on.

Kai swung his schoolbag onto his back. Somehow sitting through the rest of History seemed better than what they faced now. “Oh, man, I don’t know about this Zapster. Can’t we just hide in the loo and pretend we went?” Their steps echoed down the deserted corridor.

Pete Zappiro, AKA Zapster, friend, ally, and instigator of all things worthy of detention, shrugged, “Anything is better than Puddle-duck. Anyway, aren’t you curious?” He swung around and walked backwards, his hands waving as he spoke, “Think about it. Of all the kids who’ve tested positive, can you name a single one who has come back to St. Gregs? Where do they go? What happens to them?”

“Watch it.” Kai gripped his friends arm to stop him falling down the stairs. “But that’s my point. Doesn’t it bother you? We could end up as, I dunno, fish food. Slave labor for some maniac despot.”

“Ha! And they call me the drama queen. Have you listened to yourself? Come on, man. It will be an adventure. Maybe we’ve got it too. This thing, what do they call it?”

“Affinity.”

Pete’s eyes spread wide until white showed all around the blue, “Affinity. I say superpowers. That’s what it is. I want me some of that.”

“Stop it, Pete. You look mental. Anyway, I think if you had it, you’d know it.”

“Maybe and maybe not. What if it’s buried deep? Some of us might need help to find it. Besides there’s got to be more to life than living under you on a bunk bed. Besides, maybe they’ll feed you enough to put some meat on those skinny bones of yours.”

Zapster had a point. It was not a very good point, but it was a point. “Fine. Whatever. But if we end up fish food, you’re going first.”

“Wait, you dropped something.” Pete bent down and picked up a worn white envelope that had slipped from Kai’s bag. He turned it over, eyes flitting across Kai’s name written in cursive. The whites were back all around his irises, “What is this? Genuine snail-mail! When last?!” He held it to his nose and sniffed deeply, “Who sent this? What are you not telling me?”

“Give it back, it’s nothing.” Kai snatched it and stuffed it in his blazer pocket. They walked out the main entrance to the school, a sweeping archway painted maroon bearing the school’s motto in yellow letters: Quoquo Modo Interceptum, Succedunt. By Whatever Means, Succeed. Weird motto for a school. With the building behind, there was only a broad expanse of lawn between them and the van. Kai felt reluctance grow with every step. The feeling was exactly the same as the urge to throw up.

“You’ve been holding out on me. You’ve got yourself a girlfriend.” Shock and awe fought over Pete’s face. “Granted a weird, retro, pen-pal-type girlfriend, but still!”

Kai smacked his arm, “Shut it. It’s not like that. Anyway the doors are opening. They’re ready for us.”

Discussion Questions

Question 1: The Spirit Walker series grew out of one question... What if we could see in the Spirit? There are verses in the Bible that speak of the spiritual realm being real. Can you find any?

Answer 1: 2 Corinthians 4:18

Question 2: Near to the beginning of Affinity, Kai is in an accident and wakes up in a dark desert, drawn to burning gates. What do you think this scene symbolizes?

Answer 2: Kai is dying. At this point he is not yet a Believer and is on his way to Hell. John 3:16, John 3:36

Question 3: Tau is described by Kai as ‘the man with Eternity in his eyes’. Who does he represent and why is he described in that way?

Answer 3: Tau represents Jesus. He was there from the beginning, he was part of the creation of the world in Genesis 1. He will be there all through time until the end – He is spoken of in the book of Revelation as well.

Question 4: In chapter 11, Kai is trapped in a bubble of rock. His way out leads him through a waterfall of red liquid and on the other side, He meets Tau. What is this sequence of events symbolic of?

Answer 4: This is Kai’s moment of surrender to Jesus. He is stuck in a place that he cannot get out of by himself and calls out to God. God responds by showing him the way out – for Kai, it is through a curtain of red liquid. This represents him being washed in the blood that Jesus shed to buy us back from the enemy. As he says ‘yes’ to God by responding to God’s call through the waterfall, he gets out of the place where he would surely have died and meets Tau.

Question 5: Evazee (Zee) keeps appearing and disappearing as Kai tries to figure out where he is and how to get home. The first time she appears is in the desert as he is being drawn to the burning gates. She stops him from certain death. Why do you think she keeps popping up in the spiritual realm?

Answer 5: Every time Evazee prays and intercedes for Kai, she gets to participate in what is happening to him. It is a fictional representation of the spiritual reality of what happens when we pray. Talking to Jesus is powerful and can shift things for others. We get to partner with God to change the lives of the people around us. Isn’t that awesome?

Question 6: Evazee gives Kai a scroll map to help him. When he first opens it, the page is completely blank. Once Kai has surrendered to Tau, he begins to unlock a portion of the map. It is only when he and his friends hold on to the map together that it begins to shine its true usefulness. What does this map symbolize?

Answer 6: The written Word of God – the Bible. Before believing in Jesus, reading the Bible can seem confusing and not make sense at all. As a Believer, God gives us his Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth and teach us. Kai believed and it started to make more sense. God has given us Word and Spirit to teach us, lead us and guide us. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” John 16:13 - But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

Question 7: LightSuckers plague Kai throughout the story. What do you think they represent?

Answer 7: LightSuckers represent all the small irritations that we experience in life, the set-backs and hold-ups that can slowly sap our enthusiasm, energy and faith. If we allow them to affect us, they will eventually suck all the joy from us and leave us in a place of not being able to trust that God is good and His intentions towards are good. Some examples: unforgiveness, lies, envy, hatred, mistrust, gossip, arguing, negativity.

Question 8: DarKounds are the other significant enemy that Kai needs to face. What, would you say, is their main tactic to bring down their prey?

Answer 8: They pick up on the fears of the person they have targeted and fill their subject’s mind with phrases designed to slash their confidence and belief in themselves and God. A DarKound symbolizes unbelief – the paralyzing opposite of Mark 9:23 “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Question 9: When it comes to gifting, we have all been given natural and supernatural gifts. Your natural gifts can also be described as talents, the things that you are good at. Kai’s most obvious natural gift is playing guitar, Evazee has a way with words, Runt dances and Bree can paint. Make a list of all those things you consider to be your natural gifts and how you think Jesus could use them.

Answer 9 You might have found it hard to make a list of things that you’re good at. Figuring out your talents is not tricky, you just need to pay attention. Here are three tips to figuring out your talents. 1. What is the thing that keeps you awake at night? What are you passionate about? What do you find yourself talking about most often? 2. Doing your gifting will most often energize you, not leave you drained. 3. Other people will call it out. ‘You really write well.’ ‘You are so great with kids.’ Pay attention to what others have said to you, if it lines up with what you enjoy – that’s a huge clue!

Question 10: The Bible talks about gifting and talents as well. There are two main types of gifts - natural and spiritual. Read through these verses and see if you can spot the main difference between the two. Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11; 1 Corinthians 12:28.

Answer 10: A natural gifting is something that you are born with and can develop with practice. You’ll be able to use it whether or not you are a Believer. A spiritual gift is given to you by the Holy Spirit when you are saved and will grow as you use it to serve others.

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I like this author. She writes in such a way that one can really see faith in action. She deals with some heavy topics but always with focus on our...

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